OMXIBUS COMPANIES. 213 



gradually extended until the company became possessed 

 of more than 600 omnibuses ; each omnibus with 

 its stud of horses, harness, and "goodwill" of the 

 business already established, cost on an average about 

 £700. The horses exceed 6000 in number. 



It has been found that these metropolitan omnibuses, 

 one with another, run more than 20,000 miles a year 

 each. In renewing the stock the average expenditure 

 has been about ^120 per omnibus, ;^30 per horse, and 

 £12 harness. Each horse, under average prices, costs 

 26^'. per week for food, litter, medicine, shoeing, 

 attendance, etc. The '"'wear and tear" of omnibus 

 and harness per week is about 245. The horses run 

 about twelve miles per day each, on an average. 



The transactions of this company during the year 

 i860, present a strange result in a financial point of 

 view : 40,000.000 passengers had been conveyed, and 

 had paid about ^589,000 to the company for that 

 service ; but the expense incurred in rendering the 

 service was ^591,000, showing a small but actual 

 loss on the whole year's operations, and leaving no 

 dividend whatever for the invested capital. The 

 receipts show an average of about ^V^d. per passenger. 



The omnibuses in Glasgow, Liverpool, Manchester, 

 and several other towns, are in most respects superior 

 to those of London. The mileage duty paid to the 

 Government for the metropolitan omnibuses amounts 

 to about ^70,000 a year, to which is added about 

 ;!^ 1 5,000 a year for stamp duty, and drivers' and 

 conductors' licenses. 



Much of the information given above was derived 

 from the " English Encyclopaedia." 



The " Encyclopaedia Britannica," in its article on 

 London, speaking of street communication, states that 



